Royal Cafe: 50 years on Main Street, Part 2 of 6

Published 2:15 pm Friday, November 12, 2021

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a six-part series of articles written by Gary Dielman, a longtime Baker County historian, that explores the vital role that Chinese immigrants played in the county’s history. The series, which started in the Nov. 6 issue, focuses on the families who owned the Royal Cafe on Main Street in Baker City from 1936 to 1990. The series will continue over the next four weeks, publishing in Saturday issues.

Wedding of Henry Wong and Annie Huie

Departing from a strictly chronological history of the Royal Café, Part 2 of this series begins with a couple of photos taken over a decade after the café’s founding. The photos introduce the reader to many of the Chinese residents who are the subjects of this series.

On March 20, 1950, Henry Wong, and Annie Huie were married in Walla Walla, Washington, where Annie’s parents lived at that time and where she graduated from high school. Both were born elsewhere — Annie in Lewiston, Idaho, Henry in China, having come to Baker City at age 14. More about both of them later in the series.

Two expertly choreographed formal wedding photographs include the five original owners of the Royal Café and many of the extended Eng family. The second photo presents the bride and groom, flanked by three bride’s maids and three groomsmen.